AWB Chapter 2119 The Gunshot That Broke the Silence
Chapter 2119 The Gunshot That Broke the Silence
In the courtyard, time seemed to have been instantly melted and frozen by the fire forty years ago.
Li Xiangnan's startling question was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, creating not ripples, but a whirlpool that swallowed everything.
All eyes were fixed on Mu Huanying.
The midday sun cast a long, trembling shadow on her aged yet upright figure, as if the embers of that distant raging fire were still burning her soul!
Mu Huanying's body swayed slightly after Li Xiangnan asked that question.
She slowly closed her eyes, as if trying to force the surging, bloody memories back into her heart.
When he opened his eyes again, those clear and sharp eyes were filled with unforgettable pain, hatred that had been building up for forty years, and a complex sense of relief... as he was finally about to hand over the burden he had carried all his life.
“Forty years ago…” she opened her mouth, her voice no longer cold or sharp, but hoarse and desolate, as if each word had been painstakingly pulled out from the ashes of memory, “That autumn, my father, your great-grandfather Mu Yunhe’s fiftieth birthday banquet!”
Her gaze seemed to pierce through time and the courtyard walls, seeing the old Mu family mansion that had long since turned to ashes, and that brightly lit, bustling night filled with distinguished guests, yet rife with undercurrents.
"Although the Mu family is not a prominent and wealthy family, they are quite prestigious in Yanjing. My father is charitable and has a wide circle of friends. There were many guests that night, including business associates, cultural celebrities, and some... officials!"
Her tone was flat, as if she were recounting past events unrelated to herself, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the turmoil in her heart.
"The birthday banquet was very lively, lasting until 10 p.m.! Father was very happy and drank a few more glasses than usual. It was just me, Mother, and you, N..."
She glanced at Li Xiangnan, as if she wanted to say something, but then stopped and changed her words, saying, "...There are still a few younger family members accompanying us, so let's go back to the inner courtyard to rest first! The guests in the outer courtyard will be taken care of by a few uncles and stewards!"
"The incident will occur around midnight!"
Mu Huanying's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling undertone.
"First, several unusual muffled thuds suddenly came from the outer courtyard, like heavy objects falling to the ground, followed by short screams. But these were quickly drowned out by a louder commotion and... a strange, chaotic sound of many people running at the same time! At first, we thought it was a guest being intoxicated or something that had fallen while the servants were tidying up..."
"But soon, Old He, who was in charge of guarding the side gate of the inner courtyard, rushed in, his face ashen, and he could barely speak. He just kept pointing outside, saying that a lot of people had come, carrying weapons, and they were attacking anyone they saw..."
She took a deep breath, as if she could still smell the sudden stench of blood from back then.
Before he could finish speaking, fires broke out outside—not just one, but several!
"At the same time, from the front and middle courtyards, there were clear sounds of fighting, screams, and... gunshots that could not possibly be made by drunkards causing trouble!"
"Gunshots?!"
Someone in the courtyard gasped. Although they had suspected that the fire was not simple, hearing the words "gunshot" still sent a shockwave through them!
In those days, the implications of trespassing and using firearms were self-evident.
Mu Huanying nodded, her eyes icy. "That's right, it was gunfire! I heard it clearly. Although there weren't many, it was particularly jarring in that quiet night!"
“My father sobered up instantly. He immediately realized that this was not an ordinary robbery or revenge killing, but a premeditated massacre to wipe out my entire Mu family!”
"My father made a decisive decision and, according to the pre-arranged plan, had my mother take the elderly, several younger siblings and female relatives, and quickly leave through the hidden side gate in the next alley!"
“He told me to leave, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t abandon my father and the people outside the tribe!”
Her voice carried an undeniable resolve, a sense of responsibility and fierce determination ingrained in her very being.
"My father couldn't dissuade me, and my sisters... so they took me and a few loyal guards and servants, and decided to go to the front yard to see what was going on, at least to rescue our relatives and guests who were stranded there!"
"But as soon as I stepped out of the second gate, I was blocked!"
Mu Huanying's pupils contracted slightly, as if she were seeing the scene from back then again.
"They weren't masked bandits or chaotic routs, but a dozen or so agile and ruthless men dressed in black! They were armed with knives, axes, and pistols! They slashed and killed anyone they saw, regardless of gender or age. Their goal was clear: to wipe out the entire Mu family!"
"The guards fought desperately and managed to rescue some of their relatives, but at that time, the guards were outnumbered and outmatched, and were quickly cut down!"
"My father... my father was slashed in the back while protecting me!"
Mu Huanying's voice choked up.
Song Ziming glanced at Li Xiangnan, and the two nodded in tacit agreement.
No wonder the Mu family files in the underground archives of the Municipal Public Security Bureau said there were more than a dozen corpses. Now it seems that these people were not Mu family members, but rather deceased guards or maids.
Mu Huanying quickly suppressed her emotions, but her face became even paler and the veins on her arms bulged.
"In the chaos, my sister and I... I got separated from my sisters. A heavily injured guard pushed me into a crevice in the artificial hill, using his body to block the entrance..."
"I watched helplessly as my father fell to the ground, and as those men in black, like demons, hunted down every living person in the courtyard... Blood, blood everywhere... staining the autumn leaves on the ground red..."
Her narration, as if carrying a biting cold wind and a heavy stench of blood, swept through the entire backyard.
Everyone held their breath, as if they were there, witnessing that hellish scene.
The representatives of the ten families in Yanjing, especially the older ones, were deathly pale. Some of them even began to tremble uncontrollably, their eyes darting away, and they dared not meet Mu Huanying's gaze.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Li Xiangnan forced himself to ask, "Grandma, why did they kill people?"
"They didn't just kill to vent their anger... they were also looking for things!" Mu Huanying's voice was filled with bone-chilling hatred: "I heard someone whispering, they found account books and a secret room, and land deeds... They ransacked the place, interrogating the surviving people... if they didn't talk, they'd immediately stab them..."
Account books!
Account books again!
They really came for the account books!
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Sure enough, the fire and massacre were inextricably linked to the Mu family's wealth and secrets.
At this moment, all the guests of the Li family in the courtyard turned their angry gazes toward the ten families of Yanjing led by Shangguan Wuji and the little monk, their eyes filled with hatred that seemed to engulf them.
These are the people who harbored ill intentions towards the Mu family. I wish I could tear them to pieces to avenge this grudge!
Li Xiangnan's voice choked with emotion as he quickly asked, "Grandma, what happened next?"